Amazing Story: Rabbi Berland's Avodas Hashem to the Point of Exhaustion / Story: The Power of a Blessing

Two firsthand stories revealing the wondrous conduct of Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a: standing for an entire night and sleeping only two hours a day.

Amazing Story: Rabbi Berland's Avodas Hashem (Service of God) to the Point of Exhaustion

This week, two wondrous firsthand stories were verified, testifying to the immense Avodas Hashem and mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice) of Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a. These testimonies reveal a glimpse of the Rav's superhuman conduct, as his entire life is dedicated to serving the Creator to the absolute limit of his strength.

Standing for an Entire Night

One Jew shared a wonder he saw with his own eyes when he arrived at the home of the Rav shlit"a in the afternoon. The Rav shlit"a stood up to serve his Creator already at five o'clock in the evening.

To this Jew's immense surprise, the Rav remained standing on his feet for the entire night. He continued his holy work continuously, without resting for a single moment, until seven o'clock the next morning.

Two Hours of Sleep a Day

Another equally amazing testimony was heard from a person who merited to serve in holiness in the home of the Rav shlit"a for a long period. This attendant was near the Rav for most hours of the day, and he gives a definitive testimony about the wondrous daily schedule of the tzaddik.

According to him, the only hours of sleep the Rav shlit"a had during the entire twenty-four-hour period were strictly between 1:30 and 3:30 in the morning. He further testified clearly that he never saw the Rav shlit"a sleep outside of these two hours.

These stories illustrate to us a little of the greatness of the tzaddik, whose body has become a chariot for the Shechinah (Divine Presence), and whose entire essence is continuous Avodas Hashem without pause and beyond the limitations of nature.

Story: The Power of a Blessing: Breaking Free from the Lust for Eating

The Chassid Rabbi D. H. n"y (may his light shine), a grandson of the Rav shlit"a, related that in his youth he had a friend who complained to him that he was deeply sunk in the lust for eating. This friend shared that he ate sweets all the time, and expressed his strong desire to break free from this habit.

Following this, he went with him to the home of the tzaddik, and asked Morinu HaRav shlit"a for a blessing on his behalf regarding this matter.

When they left the tzaddik's home and went down the stairs, the friend, out of habit, took a candy out of his pocket to eat. However, he suddenly felt completely nauseated by it and threw it out of his hand.

From that moment on, he broke free from this bad habit and merited to eat in holiness.

A Story About the Fire of Torah: The Young Man Who Completed Three Tractates in the Merit of the Tzaddik's Words

A precious young man n"y, who recently drew close to Morinu HaRav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, shares the immense transformation that occurred in his spiritual life. Since he began attending the classes of the tzaddik, he merits to hear words of Torah spoken with tremendous enthusiasm. "The tzaddik voices his words with a voice that hews out flames of fire," he describes with emotion, explaining how the words penetrated deep into his heart.

A Cry for Toiling in Torah

As is known to anyone who merits to shelter in the shadow of Morinu HaRav shlit"a, discussions about the importance of diligent study occupy a central place in his classes. The tzaddik constantly cries out and demands the importance of toiling in Torah, instilling in his listeners the clear understanding that "we have no other business in this world, only to immerse ourselves in the study of Torah."

This piercing demand, spoken out of immense Ahavas Yisrael (love for fellow Jews) and holy fire, did not leave the young man indifferent. He decided to put these words into practice, and threw himself into the sea of the Talmud with true mesiras nefesh (self-sacrifice).

Three Tractates on Erev Pesach

And through this, the young man merited to see sweet fruits from his toil. He began completing several tractates of the Shas (Talmud) at an amazing pace. His diligence reached new heights, to the point that recently he merited to complete an entire tractate in just three days!

The emotional peak occurred this past Erev Pesach (Eve of Passover). On the day when all firstborns customarily complete tractates in order to be exempt from the Fast of the Firstborn, this young man merited to make a siyum (completion ceremony) on no less than three entire tractates. Fortunate is the lot of one who merits to draw close to the true tzaddik, who succeeds in igniting the fire of Torah in the hearts of the young flock and bringing them to such high spiritual peaks.

From Issue 81 — Parashas Shmini

From the series "A Tzaddik Rules in the Fear of God" — "Shapir Amar Nachmani" publications